after
by hushflower
Summary: a minute, an hour, a day, a year after / the aftermath through harry's eyes. [three/ten]
1. a minute

_a minute after_

As the pale corpse of his enemy collapses on the marble floor of the great hall, Harry exhales and closes his eyes. He is hit by the sudden, liberating realisation that his task is complete, his destiny fulfilled. He is the chosen one no more.

His lips curve into a tiny, disbelieving smile as he opens his eyes again.

And that's when the chaos of victory begins.

. . .

 **this is a series of ten drabbles of the aftermath of the war. the drabbles aren't very long but i like them a lot and i hope you do too x**


	2. an hour

_an hour after_

He accepts the cup of hot cocoa and the plate of sandwiches that Kreacher brings to the Gryffindor dorms with a grateful smile. He can barely move—that's how exhausted he is. Hermione and Ron sit on Ron's old bed, talking in quiet voices while she leans against him for support. There's a new ease between them. A new closeness.

Harry feels happy for them, feels happy for the fact that they found love even after all the horrendous things they'd been put through.

Things that they'd never have had to experience if it weren't for him.

His throat suddenly closes up, tears stinging in his eyes. He'd never thanked them. Not once.

So he does.

"I'll turn you into a teapot the next time you say that," Ron replies bluntly and Harry snorts. _Turned into a teapot._ Not a bad prospect, really.

"Harry," Hermione says gently, extricating herself from Ron's arms to sit beside him. "There isn't any need to thank us, you know. We're your friends. We would've helped you wherever you went, however stupid you would've been."

Harry half-chuckles, half-sobs at her statement and lets himself be encased in Hermione's warm arms, his tears soaking through the soft material of her sweater.

All will be well.

. . .

 **i'm back! i hope you like this one - it's not my favourite but i don't hate it either. sorry if the updates are a bit slow, school's sucking the life out of me. :/**

 **also, check out my tumblr! hushflowers(p)tumblr(p)com - just replace the p's with actual dots. x**


	3. a day

_a day after_

He runs into Ginny, quite unexpectedly, when he's helping McGonagall fix the East Wing. She's carrying a huge pile of freshly laundered linen—probably for the Hospital Wing, and Harry rushes to help her as she stumbles and drops half a dozen sheets on the newly reconstructed floor.

"Whoops," she says, laughing a little. It doesn't sound right to his ears—like a shell of her former laugh, forced out through her grief.

"Let me help you," Harry says, gathering up the cloth in his hands and following Ginny.

She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and questions him, "How are you doing?"

He shrugs. "Not bad. I'm just… a bit shell-shocked, y'know? It seems so surreal—that all of this is finally over." Harry looks down at his feet as they walk and asks quietly, "How about you? How are you doing after… after Fred?"

"I… alright, I guess. I mean, I spent a lot of time comforting Mum and George. I didn't really grieve for Fred yet."

They arrive at the Hospital Wing and Harry deposits the pile of fabric in the linen cupboard. Ginny talks with Madam Pomfrey for a minute or two, while Harry awkwardly watches from the sidelines, his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the spotless marble floor.

"Harry?" His head snaps upon hearing his name and he sees that Ginny is staring at him, an amused smile on her lips.

"Oh, sorry… I wasn't really paying attention. What did you say?"

"I asked whether you'd like to grab a bite of dinner from the kitchens? I haven't eaten much since morning and I'm starving." Ginny's brown eyes are hopeful, and Harry finds himself agreeing before really knowing what he's doing.

"Great," she exclaims, smiling brightly. Harry's heart skips a few beats as he hesitantly smiles back. "Come on, then."

She grabs his hand and they walk side by side through the corridors, talking about everything and nothing.

Her hand doesn't leave his for a second.

. . .

 **sorry for not updating! school's been hectic, what with mid terms going on. this is rather rushed. i thought of making it longer, but it just wouldn't flow... so here it is, short and sweet. hope you liked it! x**


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